The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-04-16
A GENUINE CYCLONE.
Sweeps over a Section of West vIr-
ginla.
The Sky Darkened With the Flying
Debris.
No Lives Lost-Property Damaged to
the Value of $500, 900.

WHEELING, W. Va, April 15.-The first
mediate vicinity, was experienced this after
noon, and it wrought devastation over sec
ton of the country extending from st.
Clairsville, Ohio, ten miles west, to points as
far east as this city. Little damage was
done here, the high hills on both sides Of the
river sheltering the houses. The storm was
first felt at st. Clairsville. A funnel-shaped
mass of cloud resembling dense black
smoke, travelled from the west with the cone
downward. Houses were demolished, trees
snapped off like pipe-stems, horses and cat
tie Frustrated and carried bodily hundreds of
yards by the gale, and the sky was darkened
with the flying debris. A large mansion on
the corner Of Marietta and Main streets, was
cut off clean at the second floor, and the
First National Bank block and G. Tralle &
Sons dry goods were almost swept from
their sites, only a portion of the lower walls
being left standing.
The dwellings and business blocks of l. III.
Patterson, druggist; Geo. Jepson, grocer
and James Patterson, dry goods, had the up
per walls and roof swept OF, and the lower
part of the houses badly damaged by falling
bricks and timber. The National Hotel,
Miss Evans large brick residence, and prob
ably 40 other houses were less damaged.
When the funnel shaped cloud was seen APP
preaching the people took refuge in their
cellars, and no one was killed. The United
Presbyterian church, a large brick building
was demolished. The loss will reach $500.
000' The Western Union wires and poles
are all down.. The horses hitched in the
street were blown about like chaff and the
vehicles demolished. "A scantling sailed
through the air for mile, and cut as clean a
hole In two walls of brick house as COM
mon ball would. Martins Ferry on the river
suffered even more severely than st. Clairs-
Vile.
In the town proper 70 to 100 houses were
more or less damaged, and the loss will
reach $165,000. Walnut Grove, fine park.
has but few of the 300 lofty trees standing.
The city cemetery adjoining was similarly
unfortunate. stone foundry was partially
demolished. James Reilly's house and
saloon We're blown down, and Mrs. Reilly
was pulled unconscious from the ruins and
may die. The storm struck the town without
warning, but the only other casualties re-
ported are James Reilly, the woman's hus-
band, had both legs broken. Mark Davis of
Martins Ferry stove works, is probably
fatally injured.
When the storm struck the river the water
shot up In perpendicular wall about 20
feet, and then fell back in frothy, seething
foam and simultaneously shower of fence
boards, shingles, posts and timbers, with
some large sections of houses, fell on the
turbulent waters. Fair View school house.
one mile west, was totally wrecked and Miss
White, the school teacher, badly hurt.
at Barton's Station, four miles north, a
new brick house was leveled to the ground.
At Pasco, five miles west of the city, on the
National road, the brick house of A. Hinkle
was demolished and he was badly hurt.
Large tracts of woods between here and st.
Clairsville have not tree uninjured, while
most of them are fiat on the ground. Every
lew minutes news comes of additional dam
age done by the cyclone.